This gallery contains 8 photos.
In 2009, Honda Canada sold 15,799 Accords, 2,956 of which were the two-door coupe variant. Of those, only 351 were the 271-hp EX-L V6 Coupe fitted with a six-speed manual transmission like this $34,890 tester.
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This gallery contains 7 photos.
Subaru’s steady march away from quirks-ville and into the automotive mainstream takes a quantum leap with the all-new 2010 Legacy mid-sized sedan. The last vestiges of Subie weirdness are gone with this fifth-generation remake. No more frameless side windows. The styling is conservatively pleasant, in an inoffensive kind of way. Even the classic (and yes, odd) flat-four growl has been effectively tuned out of the exhaust note.
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This gallery contains 9 photos.
I’m writing this review while sitting on an airplane. Working on the photos, I had several pictures of my 2010 Jaguar XKR Coupe test car up on my laptop screen. A flight attendant, catching a glimpse over my shoulder, stopped dead in his tracks. “Is that your car?” he said. “I need you to take me for a drive in it!” Such is the appeal of Jaguar’s sportiest cat that even a photo will pique interest.
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This gallery contains 14 photos.
Almost five years after its introduction, the eighth generation Honda Civic is still at or near the top of the passenger car sales charts in Canada. This is surprising when you consider that it’s not available as a hatchback – it’s offered only in sedan and coupe bodystyles – whereas its arch-rival, the Mazda3, is offered as a sedan and hatchback. (The Corolla is also offered as a hatchback, but it’s called the Matrix).
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Miami, Florida – Five can be a tough age: fun and games percentages have been steadily dropping year over year, replaced by responsibility, light chores, and the coming threat of school days. That’s the upside. Many a five-year old has had their world turned completely upside down by new and cute arrivals.
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A half-century ago, a revolutionary little car hit the market. The Mini was small, front-wheel drive, had its wheels pushed to the corners to improve stability and make the most of its interior space, and it was inexpensive. The redesigned version by BMW retained all of that – except for the low price-tag, of course. In honour of the birthday, Mini has released a pair of special-edition packages: the 50 Camden, and my tester, the 50 Mayfair, named for London’s famous upscale neighbourhood.
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For those with a thirst for driving excitement but a limited budget, there are several compact sedans and hatchbacks on the market with tuned suspensions, performance tires, and extra power under the hood, many of them starting under $25,000.
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This gallery contains 11 photos.
The Ford F-150 Raptor carries the F-150 designation for marketing purposes, as well as for the fact that it is a half-ton pick-up. However, the similarities pretty well end there as the truck shares very few components with its F-150 stable mates. If you approach this monster from the front you are immediately struck by its width and aggressive stance. In fact, the Raptor is 18 cm (7 in.) wider than a standard full-size pick-up, moving it into a category that requires it to sport marker lights at each corner (and in the grille) which add to the aggressive look. The distinctive grille is a black-out design, dominated by what has to be the largest Ford emblem ever employed on a consumer vehicle.
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The old saying goes that familiarity breeds contempt. That may be so in some circumstances, but in my case, familiarity has bred content. I’d never really been on Land Rover’s radar, and so only viewed these chunky – and to my eye, clunky – vehicles at auto shows, or the few times I saw one on the road. Having spent some seat time in them, including the smallest of the bunch, the 2010 LR2, I’ve come to appreciate the brand, which combines rough-and-ready off-road ability with some seriously luxurious interior touches.
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Subaru’s entry-level model was redesigned for the 2008 model year and soldiers on essentially unchanged. Even so, I was looking forward to taking this one for a week-long spin. The reason for my enthusiasm was that Subaru bravely decided to send through a bare-bones four-door sedan with a manual transmission and exactly zero options. Sending us a base model helps us focus on a particular model’s intrinsic properties without being distracted by more powerful engines or fancy sound systems. And sadly, press cars with manual transmissions are becoming a rare sight in our nation’s press fleets.
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Auto Show by Auto Trader 